Preparing
by juliette729
Summary: Ron/Hermione - Hermione tries to get in a bit of last minute prep before her and Ron's big "test".


**A/N: I am not JK Rowling, nor do I claim to be. The HP world belongs to her. I just want to say thank you for letting us play in it. **

**Also, I know this is exactly cannon, but hey, that's why there is fanfiction, right? Enjoy. **

Ron woke with a start. Something was missing. He couldn't quiet figure out what as the cobwebs of sleep were slowly trying to clear from his mind. Closing his eyes and laying back down he turned over wanting to wrap his wife Hermione in his arms, or rather her and their child. They were expecting their first child any day now. Ron quickly shot back up, that's what was missing. With his heart beating rather fast he realized he was missing Hermione's presence in their bed. Ron jumped out of bed grabbing his dressing robe not caring to tie it around his waist doing a quick survey of the room, her dressing gown and slippers were missing as well as the pre-requisite book on the night stand next to her side of the bed.

Ron's heart was beating fast as he did a search of the second floor of their home. She wasn't in the loo, the nursery or the extra bedroom. Making his way downstairs two at a time and rounding a corner into the family room Ron spotted her wild curls peeking up over the back of the sofa that faced the fire place. Ron let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Hermione, is everything ok?" He stumbled as he rounded the arm chair and had to brace his hands against the side of the sofa to keep from falling any further. Everywhere he looked there were little stacks of books. Not unusual for his wife he thought.

Hermione looked up from where she sat feet up on a plush foot stool and book open and resting on the top of her very round stomach. "Watch it Ron or you'll be the one laid up with a broken foot."

"Ha, ha, ha. I tripped on one of your many piles of books. I woke up and you weren't in bed and I got worried. You didn't tell me you were getting up." Ron stifled a yawn as he moved a couple of volumes off the sofa so he could sit next to his wife. "What time is it by the way?"

"5:30 in the morning."

"Bloody hell Hermione, what are you doing up at this hour?" Ron's eyes bulging with the fact that it was a Saturday morning, he didn't have to work and was up way too early. Suddenly a panic gripped him. "You're not in labor are you?" Ron reached out to rub the side of Hermione's stomach.

"No. Or at least I don't think so. My back has been aching rather worse than usual since last night and I'm just really uncomfortable. I thought it was just from the added weight in front, but I think I might be trying to go into labor. Anyway," she rushed on before Ron could cut in, "I couldn't sleep well so I got up about an hour or so ago and came down here to read."

"Do you want me to floo mum?" Ron was trying to hold back the bit of nervousness that was creeping up on him.

"No, I think I'm ok for now. I haven't started to have any contractions yet anyway."

"Ok." Ron ran his hands through his hair that he was sure was already sticking up in every direction. "You want anything to eat, to drink?"

Hermione didn't look up from the book she had turned her attention back to. "A cup of tea would be nice."

Ron got up and made his way carefully around the many books littered around the room and out to the kitchen to make tea. If they were going to be up this early in the morning, might as well be alert.

A few minutes later Ron returned to the family room with a mug of tea in each hand. "Here you go."

Hermione closed the book she was looking at and placed it on the other side of her and accepted the mug Ron held out to her.

"What are you reading this early in the morning anyway." Ron sat his mug on the side coffee table and proceeded to pick up a few of the books lying on the floor next to the couch. "Hermione, haven't you read all of these already, like some of them every month since we found out we were going to have a baby."

Hermione glared at her husband over her mug of tea. She loved him and knew he loved her, but he could be so thick sometimes when it came to books and knowledge and making sure one was prepared for all things in life as best as one could be. Ron caught the heated gaze his wife had fixed him with and gulped involuntarily and slunk into the couch a few more inches. He had been walking on egg shells around Hermione ever since they figured out her larger than usual temper flares were due to a hormone imbalance because she was pregnant. Hermione usually had a high temper, but lately it was raging.

"Ronald!" Hermione placed one hand on her swollen middle and balanced her mug on top of her stomach with the other. "We are expecting this child to arrive any day now, probably any moment now and I was just doing a bit of catch up reading in all these parenting and birthing books. You don't want me unprepared do you? As a matter of fact you might want to do a bit more reading yourself!"

"Honestly Hermione, you're making this sound like we're getting ready for a test or something."

Hermione deflated a bit and lowered her voice nervously. "Well, in a way we are. What if we fail as parents because we aren't adequately prepared enough?"

Ron sighed and scooted over closer to his wife taking her mug out of her hands and placing one of his hands on top of the one of hers resting on top of her stomach. Ron felt a kick and smiled. That was their child. "We are ready. Well, as ready as a set of new parents can get. I bet Mum and Dad didn't sit up reading books till they were falling apart and look, they raised seven of us and I think we all turned out pretty well."

Hermione sighed and leaned her head onto the back of the sofa. She was tired, swollen to the size of a small whale and her lower back was killing her. She reached up and placed her other hand on top of her husband's. "I know, it's just I guess I feel more in control of things when I have book in front of me. I guess, I'm just getting nervous. We're due any day now and I really have a feeling that that day may be sooner than we think. I….I just thought…" Hermione lost all train of thought at that moment as she felt an intense pain start on one side of her abdomen and gather its way across to the other "Ohhhhh" Hermione looked from her hand joined with Ron's up to his eyes. Hers were wide and searching Ron's for confirmation that they could do this. It was time to take the test, all study time was over.

Ron's had tilted his head sideways and was giving her a curious look. "Hermione…"

"Ohhh, Ron, umm I think we're about to find out just how prepared we are for this."

"Do you mean?"

"Yes!" Hermione let out a breath as her first contraction slowly subsided. Hermione's breathing was slow and shallow for a moment. "Sorry I snapped, but that hurt! I don't think it gets any lighter from here either."

Ron leaned over and placed his lips on those of his wife and gave her a deep kiss. Taking her face in his hands he made her look up to his eyes. "Hermione, we can do this, and you're going to be an awesome mum." Panic was starting to take over Ron, he couldn't get nervous, not now, this was more important than anything they had ever gone through together. "Here, let me help you up and upstairs to the bedroom and back into bed. Then I'll come back down and floo my mum and the midwife and send Pig to your parents."

5:30 p.m.

Ron was sitting on the bed next to his wife and glanced at the alarm clock next to their bed. He squinted his eyes very tight as she squeezed his hand into a crumpled mass. He never knew she had so much strength in her.

"Ouch, Hermione. Watch it I won't have a hand when this is over."

Hermione brushed a few loose curls off her forhead as she glared at her husband next to her. "You might want to very carefully consider what you say about pain in my presence at the current moment while I'm trying to bring your child into this world," she snapped. At that time her heated glare scrunched back into a look of sheer and unnerving pain.

"So..sorry." Ron gulped in a deep breath of air. Leaning down towards his wife ear. "Come on Hermione, you can do this….it's almost over."

"He's right Mrs. Weasley, Ok, on the next contraction I want you to push with everything you have ok?"

Hermione kept her eyes closed trying to brace herself for what was to come and shook her head up and down.

"Good, ok, on the count of three. One…two…three….."

Later that evening all the family had finally said their goodbyes for the time being. Molly Weasley had finally torn herself away from her newest grandson and had followed her husband back to the Burrow promising to be over first thing in the morning with breakfast and a few sets of knitted booties and blankets. Hermione's mum was settled into the guest room where she was going to stay for a few days to help her only daughter adjust to becoming a mum herself. Ron had finally closed their bedroom door and was quietly making his way back over to the side of the bed next to his wife who was holding a small sleeping bundle in blue blankets.

"He's perfect Ron."

"Yeah, I know." Ron couldn't help but smile wider. He hadn't quit smiling since he heard his son's first cry.

"He doesn't have much hair right now, but look." Hermione gently brushed the top of the blanket back. There was a thin layer of fine baby fuzz. "What he has looks red. Just like his dad."

"Yeah, he's a Weasley alright."

"Sooo…"Hermione stopped herself for a moment. "You really think we're ready for this." She nodded down at her sleeping son.

"I think so. I think we're more than ready."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, because we love him Hermione. We've loved him since the moment we found out he was on his way into our lives. I know growing up in my family we might not have always had the newest and the best of everything." Ron swallowed. He never mentioned much about lack of material things in his life growing up. "But, I think we had one of the best deals around really. We had love in abundance. Mum and Dad and all of us all loved each other and still do till our dying day and I think that's what makes us ready. Dylan here will grow up surrounded by love and I think that makes us some of the most capable parents around. We and our families will make sure he's well taken care of. Plus, if you add up the ages of everyone in my family, Mum technically has like over a hundred years of mothering experience and she's like an open encyclopedia."

Hermione giggled a little. "Yeah, she does, doesn't she." Hermione turned her face from her sleeping infant to her husband. Ron leaned over and gave her a deep kiss. "I love you Ronald Weasley."

"I love you to Hermione Weasley." Ron grinned. "You know, I still get a kick out of saying that, even after being married for over three years."

Ron leaned down and brushed his sons head with a light kiss. "I love you too Dylan Weasley. Welcome to the family."


End file.
